illiterate
adjective
Did you know?
Illiterate, Aliterate, and Innumerate
Illiterate may be used in both specific and general senses. When used specifically, it refers to the inability to read or write. In a more general sense, illiterate may signify a lack of familiarity with some body of knowledge (as in being "musically illiterate") or indicate a lack of competence in or familiarity with literature.
Illiteracy may be contrasted with aliteracy, which is “the quality or state of being able to read but uninterested in doing so.” And in case you were wondering, a person who is unable to understand or perform basic mathematics, as opposed to reading, is innumerate.
Examples of illiterate in a Sentence
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 1 Feb. 2006
Martin is not illiterate but I think close to it. I never saw him read a newspaper, for instance.
—Hayden Carruth, Reluctantly, 1998
In a time when nearly everyone was illiterate, before newspapers, radio, and television, how could the religious and iconographic detail of these apparitions have been so similar?
—Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
She didn't want anyone to know that she was illiterate.
She is politically illiterate and has never voted in an election.
He's illiterate when it comes to computers.
John Hopewell, Variety, 19 May 2024
The mothers of these children were often illiterate and came from poor, indigenous backgrounds.
—Rachel Nolan, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illiterate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illiterate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near illiterate
Cite this Entry
“Illiterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illiterate. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
illiterate
adjective
Share